Mask of Fire
by Wolves' Honor
Summary: Conceal, don't feel. Conceal your emotions and don't feel your pain. That is the mantra that lets Sasha get through the day. She never thought it would change, but fate has given her a second chance. Elsa/OC
1. The Fire Dancer

**Chapter One: The Fire Dancer**

The fire batons spun behind the back of the fire dancer known as the Burning Star. There was no hesitation in handling the wild element and no fear that the audience could see. In fact the fire dancer's face, covered by a black half-mask with golden flame designs, was completely devoid of emotion. The sunkissed shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back into a long red ribbon that brushed the fire dancer's shoulders. The loose fitting maroon pants had golden embroidered flames and a matching vest was opened to reveal the toned stomach. A light grey wolf participated in the performance as well, catching thrown batons without so much as a word of instruction from its master. The audience was enraptured by their quick and graceful movements and many would later admit to wishing the performance had lasted just a little longer.

The fire almost seeming to take on a life of its own as the fire dancer spun the batons skillfully. Trails of fire flowed through the air often weaving close to the fire dancer's skin. The art of fire dancing was known to be very dangerous and the dancer could hurt themselves and possible their audience if they weren't careful. It took tons of discipline and practice to handle the fire and this dancer seemed to have years of experience. There was never a misplacing of hands of movement, despite the rapid Burning Star finished by throwing the batons and catching them, shifting the movement into a bow in which the flames promptly went out. The wolf dipped into its own bow as the audience applauded. None of them would have ever thought that a girl would have been able to put on such a performance.

Sasha collected the tin laden with coins as soon as her audience had dispersed and headed back for the troupe's ship. That was her last performance of the day and she was feeling a little overheated, not to mention uncomfortable in the vest that showed off her black bindings as well as her abs. The captain of the ship took the money from her without so much as a thank you and sent her off to her room. _Conceal, don't feel_, she reminded herself.

* * *

Sasha held little Bell close to her chest as they sat in the Great Hall of Arendelle Castle. Bell wasn't the only one in their troupe to be huddling close to her and her wolf. Every since the Queen's coronation the temperature had dropped and was getting colder by the minute. A snowstorm in the middle of summer was definitely out of the norm and Queen Elsa had caused it. If the storm didn't stop they'd all be frozen to death. She looked over at the captain and his crew where they huddled together, watching them. She knew what they were discussing and it disgusted her. _Conceal, don't feel._ Her gaze was drawn to Prince Hans next. Something about the man made her instincts scream danger despite how considerate he was being, ordering the castle steward to supply everyone with blankets.

It's not going to get better, she realized, looking down at the coughing child in her arms. Conceal, don't feel.

"Such power … perfect … the troupe."

Snatches of the captain's conversation drifted to her ears and she realized, she had to do something. She passed Bell to an acrobat named Filli before standing up an approaching the castle steward, highly aware of how the crew was watching her.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

The steward considered for a moment before answering. "The maids could use help closing all the open windows."

Perfect.

* * *

A black wolf darted through the snow, sinking deep into the powder with every leap. The white wolves behind it were more adept at running on the surface of the snow with their wide paws, but none had the black wolf's determination.

* * *

Elsa didn't know why she'd chosen to let the black wolf into the ice palace. She had already sent her sister away afraid of hurting her, but when the wolf had appeared on her doorstep, panting and covered in scratches, she had called off her snow monster and let it in. It had plopped to the ground - or ice as the case may be - immediately after it had limped over the threshold and had started to lick a wound on its left forepaw. It was such a gentle animal that she had to wonder if it was someone's pet that had gotten caught in the blizzard. Little did she know that this wolf was about to save her life.

* * *

The wolf, newly named Oscar for some strange reason, sank its teeth into the cross bow arm of the man from Weselton. The man shouted in pain and shook him off, kicking him in the ribs for good measure. The kick served as the finally breaking point for Else, who was already on the verge of losing control of her powers to her fear and desperation.

Prince Hans tried to calm her when he burst in on the scene. She had just been convinced when the man that had not been bitten by Oscar shot his crossbow. Hans grabbed his arm accidently redirecting the attack into the crystal chandelier above Elsa. Oscar knocked Elsa out of the way and her last impression is of how fierce the wolf's amber eyes are before her head hits the ice. The chandelier crashes down on top of the black wolf, shattering. The men left the wolf for dead as they returned to the castle with Elsa's unconscious form. None of them noticed the black metal armor that covered the wolf from head to toe.

* * *

Sasha didn't return to the troupe until after the out of season storm had vanished. The captain was furious despite the reasoning for her long absence. The door of one of the rooms had gotten frozen shut when she had went to close the window and she hadn't been able to get out. She had however seen what had happened between the Queen, Princess, and Hans from this window. The look the captain gave her told her what would happen later. _Conceal, don't feel._

Their troupe passed the royal sisters as the captain led them back to the ship. She dipped her head politely. Bell, who was currently clinging to the sleeve of her worn shirt that replaced her performing vest, giggled as the pulled a soaking Hans from the river. The other members of the troupe smiled at the five year old's childishness. Sasha's mouth curved up into a faint smile that no one else noticed. She reached up to brush her bangs out of her face, lingering on the half-mask when she brushed it. She was unaware that someone had seen the bite mark on her wrist.

"Come with me, Sasha," the captain ordered as soon as they were on the deck of the ship.

Sasha followed him with a carefully blank expression. The troupe watched her go silently before members of the crew hustled them down to their sleeping quarters.

* * *

Sasha barely kept from wincing as Filli and Alyx tended to the whip marks on her back and legs. The three of them were completely silent, none of them having anything to say until Sasha was all bandaged and able to sit up.

"You ran, didn't you?" Alyx stated.

Sasha nodded in response causing her to sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose.

"And you came back?"

"I couldn't leave Sol," she answered. The wolf raised his head on hearing his name. "Or anyone else for that matter."

"You know when you say stuff like that it makes your mantra invalid."

"Does it? I think my emotions are concealed pretty well and I don't even feel the pain of the lashings anymore."

"Well, I for one think you should have stayed free while you had the chance," Alyx said and turned her back.

"I think it was very noble of her to come back," Filli declared. "She's our protector and I know the younger children find hope in her."

Sasha stared at the wall blankly for a moment before sliding off the table. She didn't stumble, but her movements were definitely slower.

"I'm going to my room."

"Oh, no you're not," the twins chorused together.

"You're not going back to that water filled room until your wounds heal," Alyx declared, blocking her path.

"You can sleep with the rest of the troupe tonight," Filli agreed.

Sasha didn't agree or disagree, she just let herself be led from the room. That night she lay in the midst of her troupe, unable to find sleep. Little Bell was cuddled into her side and Filli's head was resting on her stomach like a pillow. It was uncomfortable to lay on her back and she would have left the room if wasn't for the two of them. Sasha had not been able to leave them, she'd suffered the wrath of the pirate captain and she'd suffer it again in order to protect this troupe that she loved like her own family. Tears swam in her eyes, but she blinked them away. Her mantra was to deeply ingrained for her to show any kind of emotion like that anymore. She refused to be weak. _Conceal your emotions and don't feel your pain. That's how you'll get through the day. _Mouthing the mantra to herself once more, she slowly fell asleep, unaware of the bright-eyed youth watching her.

Bell placed her hand over Sasha's heart and mumbled a quiet childish phrase that she had often heard Sasha tell Sol. "Your life blood will run strong when the wolves howl with the moon." White light haloed the tiny hand and the fire dancer's wounds slowly healed becoming thin silvery scars. Bell curled even closer to Sasha and allowed herself to return to sleep with a small contented smile.

* * *

"Bell healed you again," Alyx said, removing the now useless bandages.

"I figured," Sasha sighed.

"At least you won't be slowed down in your performance today."

She snorted and jumped off the table. "You know the dancing itself isn't bad, being forced into it though ruins the fun."

"Only you'd think it would be fun to handle fire, Sasha."

She looked up to see Gertrude and her mother Fae, who acted as a mother to all the younger people in the troupe. It was Gertrude that had spoken, eyes dancing with a mirth that no one not even the pirates could beat out of her. Sasha's brown eyes seemed to gleam a little brighter at the sight of the older girl, but otherwise her expression was neutral. Gertrude was actually one of the few people in the troupe that had seen Sasha when she was a kid without her cold mask. She had always had the fire mask since Gertrude could remember, but the lack of emotion had come later. Many people of the original troupe had died since then. Gertrude, Fae, Filli, Alyx, Sasha, and Steel were the only ones left of that troupe. It was only this group of people who knew that Gertrude and Sasha had been more than just friends.

"I don't think handling fire is fun, I think its dangerous. It's the movement itself I find fun."

"I know."

"Of course you do."

Alyx shared a smile with Fae as the two exchanged witty comments. Sasha was more relaxed even if it didn't show.

"Alright, scum. Get up and get a move on before I have to come down there with my whip."

Sasha hardened at the pirates shout and pulled the vest on. Fae stepped forward to help her tie her hair back while Alyx and Gertrude left to go get their own uniforms. The troupe slowly went and got their tins to collect money from the performances. Sasha was one of the last as she had to receive her batons to. Apparently, she was so skilled that the pirates worried that she could use them as weapons. As she turned to leave one of the pirates leaned forward and whispered suggestions into her ear that caused the other pirates that had overheard to laugh and whistle. She didn't say or do anything only gave the man a blank expression before leaving. _Conceal, don't feel._

* * *

Sasha had an even better turnout rate today than she had yesterday. Everyone seemed to be craving a little extra warmth after what happened a week ago. There was a crowd surrounding her before she'd even lit the batons. Holding the batons in one hand, she struck a match to light them. Once she began moving, she focused less on the crowd and more on what she was doing. Each move had to be perfectly timed or she'd end up burning herself or her partner. Sol was happy to bounce off her knee or back or jump over her to catch batons. He never complained about the heat that singed his nose and she never complained about his saliva that made handling the batons all the more dangerous.

A disturbance in the crowd caught her attention and she missed her baton. She'd done more than just missed it, she hadn't even reached out to catch it. Sol covered for her mistake. He jumped off her knee and twisted to catch the baton, flipping it back to her. She recovered quickly and her audience wasn't even aware that a mistake had been made. They were lucky, a mistake like that could have resulted in a burn. She spun the baton's even faster. The speed at which they moved seemed to weave a web of fire around her. She finished with her signature bow and held it a few second longer than she normally would before straightening.

Princess Anna was clapping excitedly along with the rest of the crowd while Queen Elsa watched Sasha curiously. The Burning Star had seemed so absorbed in her dance that Elsa had been surprised when the girl had bowed directly to her. She hadn't thought the girl had noticed her or her sister. The fact that she had impressed her almost as much as the fire dance had. She was even more impressed when the girl didn't show any emotion to Olaf walking up and announcing he liked warm hugs.

"I think my hugs would be a little to warm for you, little snowman," she stated, causing the cheerful snowman to laugh.

Elsa was surprised by the fierceness in Sasha's brown eyes when she looked back up at her. A faint frown flashed across her face, so quick that Elsa almost thought she'd imagined it. Sasha glanced at the pirate on the outside of the crowd worriedly. _Conceal, don't feel,_ she reminded herself.

**First chapter is a little short, but the second should be longer.**


	2. Rebellion

**Chapter Two- Rebellion**

Sasha sat crossed-legged between Alyx and Gertrude with Bell on her lap. The whole troupe sat in a circle, even the ones to small to understand what was going on. She had brought up the issue, but so far hadn't joined in the discussion.

"They go too far this time," Alyx stated.

"I agree, but it's not our place to interfere."

"Why not?" Filli chimed in her twins defense. "If we can do something then we should."

This produced a whole other argument. The volume of their voices steadily grew louder until Sasha cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention.

"As you are all aware if one group acts to stop them then the pirates will punish us all, which is why everyone has to agree to take action before a plan can be made. I'm not saying you have to fight, but I am asking that you be willing to accept whatever punishment might come."

She paused and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she reopened them and removed her mask. "There's more to it as well. If we succeed we'll have earned our freedom. The children can have an actual childhood and we could return to our homes if we so wished it."

"And what about if we fail?"

"If we fail we'll be punished, some of us might even be killed. If we fail there might never be a chance for anyone to escape ever again. But the chance of failure is only slim. The pirates are afraid of us and what's more their stupidity to have us perform has kept us fit. We have skills that even they can't imagine. So they question is will you finally stand up or will you bow down."

Many members of the troupe exchanged glances. They were surprised to see the normally emotionless fire dancer so fired up - no pun intended. She had even removed her mask which was something she almost never did. It was for these two reasons that they all finally agreed. Some were still unsure, but they gave it anyway as they went around the circle. Sasha smiled slightly and slid her mask back on.

"Then this is what we'll do."

They stayed up late into the night discussing their plan. Bell fell asleep in Sasha's arms and as the other children drifted off to sleep, Fae quietly gathered them up. One of the pirates came down to check on them a little later, but left soon after. He couldn't understand the language that the troupe had made up to communicate to one another and so all he saw was them playing a game of cards. If he had been able to understand what they were saying, he would have been highly offended by the phrase Steel said about the pirate's mother has he left.

* * *

Sasha tied the sash around her waist, making sure the loose end was in the back. It had been awhile since she'd worn these clothes, but they were much more comfortable than her other performance clothes. The high-collar tunic and pants were the same style as her other outfit only black instead of maroon. The sleeves of the tunic were held tight against her wrists by golden cuffs, so they wouldn't accidentally get in the way and catch fire. The sash had the same problem which is why it had to be tied in the back. She set her foot on the edge of a crate to tighten the straps of her boots. She normally didn't wear boots, but the captain wanted them to look their bests for this performance.

Their troupe had been hired as entertainment for the party that the Queen had thrown in order to make up for her coronation party. This party was welcome to everyone in Arendelle and it was said that the Queen would be showing her powers. The amount of money they were making for this party was more than the troupe could make in a month. Sasha thought it was a little much, but she didn't have a say in the matter.

She joined the other members of her troupe and took the batons that were proffered to her. She hung them off the metal clip attached to her sash and flinched as something brushed the back of her neck. Fae murmured an apology as she fixed Sasha's ponytail.

"Everything's in place," she whispered in Sasha's ear before stepping back.

The pirates hadn't seen the exchange, to busy fussing over the fancy clothes that they found extremely uncomfortable. Sasha met the eyes of every single troupe member that would be participating in tonight's events. Their faces were grim, but they all managed to acknowledge her with a dip of their head. She straightened to her full height as the captain stopped in front of her.

"I better not see any funny business from you tonight," he nearly growled.

She didn't respond and met his gaze evenly. He turned his back on her and her eyes narrowed venomously. _Conceal, don't feel_. She exhaled quietly and relaxed some. Sol nudged her hand, carefully not to brush up against her clothes. His fur had been washed thoroughly, returning it to the silver color that it had been before they'd joined this troupe. She lightly brushed the fur on his head to assure him that she was okay.

"Everyone's ready, Captain, sir."

"Let's go then."

Sasha fell in step beside Alyx and Filli as they left the ship. Steel followed behind them, his bear like build looming over their shorter forms. His presence was that of a protector and all three girls were thankful for it.

* * *

Sasha was dancing one of the quick fire dances that required both speed and endurance. She was using all the tricks she knew in this performance. Filli and Alyx were doing their own routine with several others across the way from her. The acrobats were almost as fast as her in their own performance and she kept an eye on them. Sol jumped off her back to grab one of the batons and kept hold of it as she spun the other one around her body. He jumped of her knee next, dropping the baton mid-leap. She caught it effortlessly and shifted into a more complicated set. A smile hinted at the edge of her mouth before disappearing as she caught sight of the captain talking to the queen. _Conceal, don't feel._

A sudden shout caught her attention and she saw Filli tottering on top of the acrobats pyramid. She fell to the alarm of the crowd only to be caught by Steel, who had already finished his performance. It was one of the tricks that the acrobats liked to play on their crowd. Filli kissed Steel on the cheek before flipping out of his arms and running back to the other acrobats. Sasha, realizing it was probably time for her own performance to come to an end, shifted into the last part of her performance. Sol held onto one of the batons, so should could free a hand. The rippling pillar of flame shot into the air, bringing gasps from her audience. Fire breathing was probably the most dangerous stunt to do and she'd executed it perfectly.

It was a relief for her performance to be done. It was easy to get dehydrated when fire dancing, so she was extremely grateful for the glass of water Steel brought over to her. The three pirates that had been in charge of watching over the two of them led them back to the ship as soon as the crowd was done cheering for Sasha. As soon as they were safely delivered to the ship they returned to the party. Fae greeted them, eyes shining brightly as she realized how close they were to the last performance.

"Are you ready?"

"Let's do this."

* * *

"I must admit I was a bit surprised that you hired us, Your Majesty. The troupe has never performed at a party before especially at one thrown by a royal."

"That surprises me, they're really skilled."

Elsa took the glass of champagne that the captain proffered to her. She did it mainly to be polite because she really didn't like alcohol. She didn't see the smile that spread across the pirate captain's face as she took a sip. They were out on one of the balconies hidden from the crowd within.

"That is why I took them. There abilities make quit a profit."

"What?"

"You'll understand soon."

The glass slipped from Elsa's hand as she suddenly grew dizzy. The captain smiled and whispered quietly to her as she collapsed.

"Have a nice rest, Your Majesty."

* * *

Sasha and Steel kept a close eye on the unconscious pirates as Alyx picked the lock on the armory door. Filli was keeping a look out on deck with another acrobat named Tanya.

"Got it,' Alyx declared, pulling the door open.

She passed weapons to Sasha, who in turn passed them to the other members of the troupe of captured slaves. Once everyone was armed except for Sasha and Steel, Alyx stepped out of the room. She held out a familiar set of weapons in her hands that she proffered to Sasha.

"I believe these are yours."

Sasha nodded her thanks as she took the claymore and tanto that had once belonged to her mother. She had been too small to wield the large sword when the pirates had kidnapped her and her hands were unsteady as she strapped it to her back. Slipping the tanto into her boot, she turned to face the others. She didn't say anything and she didn't have to. In their eyes, she looked like a true hero and gave them hope that they really would succeed. She was still dressed in the formal fire dancer outfit, but the claymore, whose hilt was wrapped in a red ribbon made all the difference.

They followed her off the ship and quickly separated into the alleyways. Everything fell silent as the waited and the pirates seemed noisy in comparison. They were surprised when the slaves' trap was sprung, blocking them off on all sides. Sasha and Steel worked together, the big man punching the pirate holding the Queen square in the jaw. Sasha caught her and dropped back behind the other slaves. Fae dropped to her side, a vial clasped tightly in her hands.

"You know, I must admit, Sasha, I'm a little surprised. Did you plan all this yourself?" The captain smirked cruelly when her grip tightened on the Queen. "When did you get to be so much like your mother?"

Elsa slowly opened her eyes as Fae waved the vial under her nose. The smell was potent, but she was more concerned with the masked girl, who leaned over her with smoldering amber eyes.

"I've always been like my mother you were just too stupid to notice, Uncle," Sasha said emotionlessly.

"Is that so? Well either way, this little rebellion is about to end, Satyana."

"Tanya, go."

A girl two years younger than Sasha took off in the direction of the castle, lithely jumping over a pirate that tried to grab her. Another pirate slashed at Steel with a hidden dagger only for it to shatter on impact on the silver like skin the man now possessed. Sasha left Queen Elsa in Fae's care and engaged her uncle with the tanto. She would have liked to have used the claymore, but unfortunately lacked the skill to wield it properly. With the tanto she could make up with what she lacked in skill with her speed and ferocity. They were evenly matched until Sol clamped down on her uncle's sword hand, causing his sword to clatter against the cobblestones.

With the advantage now in her favor, she backed him against the wall and settled the knife at his throat. The other slaves were gradually winning their own fights, aided by the powers that they'd been kidnapped for. Sasha was actually one of the few that hadn't been taken because of a power. The fighting was almost over when the Arendelle soldiers arrived on the scene, led by Tanya. In that instance she let her guard down and her uncle, the pirate captain, made his move.

The tanto fell as he pushed her back. She landed on her rear gracelessly, hand pressed against her stomach. He slashed at Sol with a bloodstained dagger, drawing blood on the silver wolf's muzzle. The soldiers were on him before he could get far. Sasha pushed herself to her feet, gritting her teeth.

* * *

Elsa was faintly aware of the women next to her asking if she was alright and responding, but had not idea how she'd responded. She was still feeling a little dizzy and confused. How had she gotten on the dock and why were the performers she'd hired fighting against the captain of their ship? As she watched the fight she remembered what the captain had said to her before and finally began to understand what was going on. She had been drugged by the captain, that she was sure of, but everything else was only speculation.

"What's going on?"

The women next to her explained with a grim face. She told Elsa how the captain and his crew were pirates, that had kidnapped people with powers similar to her own. They'd treated these people as slaves, forcing them to use their skills to perform and earn money that went to directly to the pirates. She then explained that this was the reason Elsa had been kidnapped and that the masked girl, Sasha, had rallied the group of slaves to come to her defense. She couldn't explain Sasha's reasonings though.

Elsa was relieved when the castle guards showed up. Even though the slaves had been doing a wonderful job of fighting and protecting her, she felt more at ease now that her actual guards were here. The guards quickly apprehended the pirates and finished the rest of the pirates. Sasha stood up from where she'd been pushed by the pirate captain, the man Elsa was sure she's heard the girl call her uncle. When she'd woken up she'd been surprised to find the girl hovering over her, but not as surprised as she was, when she'd noticed the girl's amber eyes that had been so similar to Oscar's.

She was watching the girl so intently that she was the first to notice the way she never fully straightened up and how her hand was pressed against her stomach. She was not the first to respond. Another girl, who resembled the woman at Elsa's side, cried out the girl's name as she swayed and barely managed to catch her as she fell. Elsa could see the red blood that coated the tan skin of Sasha's hand. She had been stabbed.

* * *

"_Satyana, Satyana, wake up."_

"_Go away, Nea."_

"_But the wolves are howling, so we can't sleep."_

"_Try."_

"_Hey, Satyana. Do you want to dance?"_

_She sat up with a smile, facing her younger brother and sister. Ryn grinned and both children grabbed her hands, pulling her from the bed. Their bare feet slapped against the stone hallway. Sol, the dark grey wolf pup, ran after them, tiny tail wagging like a whirlwind. As their mother's wolves raised their voices to the moon, the children danced in the Great Hall._

"_What's going on in here?"_

"_We were just dancing," Ryn said, as his sisters looked down at the floor guilty._

"_Is that so?" Their mother's stern expression was replaced with a smile. "May I join you then."_

_The children beamed happily. Satyana grabbed her mother's hand in answer, grinning broadly._

* * *

Sasha woke with tears in her eyes and a sharp pain in her abdomen. She blinked the wetness out of her eyes once again reminding herself, _conceal, don't feel._


	3. Freedom

**Chapter Three: Freedom**

Sasha stares at the ceiling blankly. She doesn't know where she is, but she doesn't really care. All she does care about is that she's alone except for the sleeping wolf laying across her legs. Her dream continues to haunt her and no matter how many times she blinks the tears away they come back. Memories like that one had once been happy ones, but now just served as a reminder of everything that had gone wrong. Taking a deep breath, she reached up to brush her bangs out of her face and froze. She sat up quickly only to relax when she saw the mask laying on the nightstand next to the bed. She would not have forgiven herself if she'd lost it.

She lay back down, wincing at the pain in her stomach. Sol lifted his head sleepily, woken by her movement. He stretched forward and licked her hand. She petted the fur between his ears in response, staring at the ceiling again. The door clicked open. She raised her head slightly to see Fae and a servant enter.

"You're awake," Fae said in surprise.

Sasha hummed in response and pulled herself up, so she was propped up by the pillows. Sol settled his head back in her lap with a quiet huff. Fae and the servant, who introduced herself as Gerda, rebandaged her wound before Gerda left to get food for her.

"So we were successful I take it."

"Yes and it's all because of you, Sasha."

Sasha didn't respond, reaching out to pick up the mask from the nightstand. "How much do you know about my past?"

"Not much, just that the mask belonged to your mother," Fae answered honestly.

"That's not entirely true." Sasha ran her thumb over one of the eye holes. "The mask my mother wore was actually pitch black and had once belonged to her mother, my grandmother. This mask was made by my mother when I was six, but she didn't give it to me until I was ten."

"You were ten when you joined us weren't you."

"I was. I got the mask a month before I was taken, my mother died a week before that."

"You've had a tough life," Fae said.

Sasha shrugged and then changed the subject again. "Who left to go back home?"

"I think it's easier to answer who didn't . My daughter was furious that they left before you were awake."

"Who stayed then?"

"Filli, Alyx, Steel, Tanya, Max, Zane ,Bell, Gertrude, and myself."

"I'd think Maxwell would be the first to leave."

"I thought so to, but it seems he found a reason to stay among the castle staff."

Sasha snorted and rested her head against the headboard. She was glad to see that the people she considered family had stuck around.

"Also the queen has offered us a place in the castle until we can get back on our feet."

"That's nice of her."

"I think her little sister had to do with the decision though. She's getting along with the others quite well especially little Bell."

Sasha was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again. "Who's going to leave now that I'm awake?"

"No one." Sasha tilted her head until Fae elaborated. "None of us have anywhere left to go, so we thought we'd just stay where you are. We are a family, even if not by blood."

Sasha looked away and closed her eyes. She considered them family, but to hear that they felt the same way made her both happy and sad at the same time. Having a family didn't seem to be something she was good at. Fae smiled and set her hand on Sasha's arm. The door suddenly slammed open, causing both former slaves to flinch and Sol to jump to his feet with a growl.

"Oops, sorry."

"It's alright, Princess, although I think you might have dented the wall," Fae said, her startled expression replaced with an amused smile.

"Oops," Princess Anna repeated sheepishly.

Sol let out an irritated snort and flopped back across Sasha's legs. Sasha kept her confusion and amusement -as well as her annoyance with Sol- from showing as the Princess of Arendelle walked towards her and promptly tripped on the edge of the shaggy rug. She bounced right back to her feet as if it was no big deal and held her hand out to Sasha.

"Hi, I'm Anna."

"Sasha," she answered, taking the girl's hand and instantly regretted it as her fingers were crushed in the strong handshake. Fae's hand flew up to her mouth to suppress a giggle. Sasha noticed, Anna did not.

"I've heard a lot about you …"

Sasha listened in bemusement as the princess started asking her questions much faster than she could answer. Fae owns amusement increased as she continued. She was practically in tears as she struggled not to laugh. Sasha was grateful when Gerda returned, cutting Anna off mid-interrogation. The servant gentle shooed Anna from the room and the girl said goodbye before running off down the hall.

"She's full of energy," Sasha stated.

"Yep," Fae agreed.

* * *

"Ow," Sasha complained as Filli and Alyx grabbed her in a hug. The twins apologized as they released her. It had been two days since she'd woken up and she'd finally been given permission to leave her room with the promise that she wouldn't do anything to reopen her wound. Fae and Anna had been the only company she'd had and while Anna was full of energy, Sasha had still been bored. Steel put a hand on her shoulder gently before stepping back so Gertrude could hug her. She presses a kiss to the fire dancer's cheek before holding the her at arm's length.

"Don't ever do that again."

"I promise not to let my crazy pirate uncle stab me again," Sasha responded seriously.

Gertrude tried and failed to hide her smile, provoking a smile from the normally stoic fire dancer. Bell lightly tugged on her shirt sleeve. Sasha crouched down to the young girl's height, so she could hug her. The hug hid how Bell's hand was pressed against her wound gently as she used her powers. She didn't heal the wound, but she did lessen the pain somewhat. It had been decided that they would keep Bell's healing magic a secret. Healing magic was such a rare ability and could easily be abused.

"So has it dawned on you yet that we're finally free," Alyx asked.

Sasha straightened up. "It has. Although, I'm not as free as you'd think."

"Right because of your mysterious past that you don't want to talk about."

Her eyes darkened as she looked at Alyx. Zane settled a hand on Alyx's shoulder warning her to back off. Sasha might be excellent at hiding her emotions, but she couldn't hide them from the empath. He could feel her anger and sadness and he knew Alyx confronting her wouldn't help. The tense silence was broken by the cheerful princess. Gertrude leaned forward to whisper in Sasha's ear as the others attention was pulled away.

"Promise me you won't hide behind your mask forever."

"I don't make promises that I can't keep," she said without looking at her ex.

Gertrude sighed and let Sasha be, joining her mother. Bell looked up at Sasha curiously. The older girl sighed quietly. Sol nudged her hand with a whimper, offering her what little comfort he could.

"I'm okay, Sol. I'm okay."

The silver wolf leaned against her leg with a quite huff. Sol would be by her side no matter what and that knowledge was more comforting than anything else. He knew the reason behind her silence and he understood what the others could not. He knew the ghosts that haunted her.

"I'll be okay," Sasha murmured, to quite for anyone else to hear.

* * *

Well, this was awkward. Sasha clasped her hands in her lap in order to refrain from her nervous habit of rubbing her palms together. Elsa seemed to be nervous as well, but was just as good as Sasha at hiding it. She'd invited the fire dancer into her study to thank her, not thinking about the fact that the conversation would only take a couple of minutes. Now the two of them sat on opposite sides of the desk in silence. Elsa cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence.

"Do you mind me asking why you saved me?"

Sasha looked up, head tilted slightly. "I saved you because you're royalty, Your Majesty, and because royalty are not meant to be slaves to anyone's will."

"Are you saying that anyone who isn't royalty is meant to be a slave?"

"No, definitely not. No one should have to be a slave" Sasha paused, considering her next words. "All I mean is that royalty is meant to rule, not be ruled."

Elsa was quiet, considering the fire dancer's words. It was a simple sentence, but somehow coming from this girl it was very powerful. She wondered why that was. For the first time in their meeting Elsa noticed that the girl's eyes were brown again. Had she'd imagined the amber color. She dismissed Sasha when Kai same in with a pile of paperwork for her to work on. Sasha bowed politely before leaving.

She sighed as the study door closed behind her. Sol looked up from where he sat across the hall. He padded to her side and followed her as she turned to find Alyx and Filli. She found them with the rest of the troupe and Anna. They were trying to teach Anna to play soccer. She would have joined them if it wasn't for her wound, so instead she sat next to Fae and Bell, who were sitting out. Looking at the colored band wrapped around the players' arms she was able to figure out the teams. Alyx, Filli, Steel, and Max were on the blue team while Gertrude, Anna, Tanya, and Zane were on the red team. It was rather unbalanced as the blue team had a complete trio on their side. Alyx, Filli, and Steel were known as the Demon Trio because they had speed and strength a deadly combination that every goalie should fear. The only thing that could ever stop their victory was the team of Gertrude, Zane, and Sasha, who had been called the Terrors. Gertrude and Zane may have been able to stand against the other team if wasn't for Anna, whose clumsiness made her a hazard.

"They're not using their abilities," she remarked.

"No, Zane thought it wouldn't be fair. Especially since it's Anna's first try."

"They should've picked teams differently then."

"Probably," Fae agreed with a smile as Zane abandoned the goal in order to avoid the ball that Steel had kicked.

Sasha watched for several more minutes before interjecting. "Steel switch with Gertrude."

The big man nodded as the twins complained. Gertrude smiled at Sasha as they switched places and arm bands. The teams were a lot more balanced, but even with the addition of Steel, the red team were still losing. Sasha narrowed her eyes as she saw Filli running to intercept Anna, who was closing in on the other goal clumsily. She grabbed one of the biscuits from the basket in Fae's lap, causing the older women to frown. Checking the weight of the golden pastry, she deemed it suited for her needs.

Filli cursed in surprise, whipping around to face Sasha. She'd managed to catch the pastry after it bounced off her shoulder, saving Sasha a tongue lashing from Fae for wasting food. Filli's shout distracted Max, allowing the poorly kicked soccer ball to soar into the goal. Anna cheered happily at her first goal obviously. Filli threw the biscuit back at Sasha, who caught it and ate it. She smiled mischievously, provoking a smile from the angry girl. Sasha's smiles were so rare that Filli couldn't stay mad. She turned her attention back to the game.

Bell tugged on Sasha's sleeve a few minutes later. The older girl allowed the younger into her lap. She was carefully not to cause Sasha any pain or discomfort as she settled back into her arms.

* * *

They were done planning soccer and were now taking a much needed breather. Anna had asked questions about the game, but had changed to asking the performers about their lives. Eventually she ran out of questions to ask the others and switched to Sasha.

"Where were you born, Sasha?"

Sasha hesitated briefly before answering, "The Northern Isles."

"What's it like there?"

Sasha was a little surprised that Anna didn't make a connection between the Northern Isles and the Southern Isles, but she answered Anna's question anyways. "I used to live in a place near the Forest of Wolves. I remember that the trees were so tall and green and if you went far enough into the forest you could see the waterfalls. It was so beautiful especially in winter when the water froze."

Fae was surprised by the wistful tone in Sasha's voice and upon looking at the other's she saw that they heard. Sasha answered Anna's questions, even the ones about her family. She didn't reveal any events from the past though, which only seemed to make the mystery around her grow. There was only one question that Sasha didn't answer because Gertrude answered it for her.

"What powers did the pirates kidnap you for?"

"Sasha wasn't taken because of powers or abilities. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Gertrude's answer to Anna's question was vague, but apparently enough to appease the girl's curiosity on the subject.

Before Anna could ask another question, a servant came to tell them that dinner was ready. Anna happily led the way back to the castle. Sasha trailed behind the group and Gertrude fell back to walk with her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sasha answered, face carefully blank.

"I don't think Anna realized that you didn't tell her much about your past."

"I revealed more to her in one day than I ever revealed to the others in the few years we spent together."

"It's not a bad thing. In fact you could stand to reveal a little more."

Sasha didn't respond. Gertrude suddenly stopped walking and stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. "They're not going to hate you, Sasha."

"Maybe not at first. They'll be afraid if they ever find out and people tend to hate what they fear."

"I know the truth and I'm not afraid."

"Because your an idiot," Sasha retorted and went to step around her.

Gertrude caught her arm. "I'm fine with being an idiot if it means I can still stay by your side."

"When did you get to be such a helpless romantic?"

Gertrude smiled in response and kissed Sasha's cheek. "I still love you."

The fire dancer smiled to herself as Gertrude left to catch up with the others. She could honestly say she was still in love with Gertrude as well. They were a couple that just didn't work together as anything more than friends. And they were both okay with just being friends. Sasha started walking again feeling more lighthearted than she had for a long time.

**This chapter is much shorter than I wanted, but I didn't want to leave this story without a chapter for to long. R&R please.**


	4. The Queen's Guard

**Chapter Four: The Queen's Guard**

Sasha carefully washed the soot from her hands, listening to the blacksmith's praises over the completed sword on his anvil. It had been three months since she'd first come to Arendelle and she had quickly become liked by the castle staff. As soon as her wound had fully healed, she had went to Kai and asked if there was any work she could do. He had informed her that as guests of the castle the troupe didn't have to work, but she'd insisted anyway. Her troupe had been quick to follow her example She had been discovered as a master of odd jobs and a relatively quick learner in crafts that she had no previous knowledge in. She was found to be especially skilled in smithing.

However, the work that she did was kept quiet from the Queen and Princess at her request. It could not be kept from Anna's beau, Kristoff, though. He had found out when he had taken Sven to the stables and she'd been helping a stable hand with re-shoeing the horses. There had been threats made that no man could ignore. They hadn't been made by Sasha though, but by Sven. For whatever reason the reindeer seemed quite taken with the fire dancer at first so, more so than he'd been with Anna at first.

Sasha said goodbye to the blacksmith before leaving his forge. She would have stayed a little longer if it wasn't for her appointment with Lieutenant Thane. The lieutenant had offered to teach her how to use her claymore, but because of his busy work schedule their lessons were often planned spontaneously. She had been clumsy at first, not used to the weight of the weapon, but had rapidly increased in skill. She was nowhere near Thane's skill yet though.

He was practicing his own skills when she arrived on the training field. He went through the movements slowly with his eyes closely, simply allowing them to flow smooth and naturally. Sasha watched him for a minute before drawing her claymore. The metallic sound alerted him to her presence and he shifted through a downward stroke before turning to her.

"You're late."

"I was helping out in the blacksmith," she answered, stepping up across from him.

"Then it's best if we go straight to the sparring," he replied, taking a stance. "Whenever you're ready."

She circled to his left, causing him to turn as well. He stopped though when she tried to put the sun in his eyes. She angled her blade catching the sunlight and reflecting it in his face. He winced and she attacked. He parried the blow and countered. He quickly put her on defense. She side stepped and dodged his attacks only using her sword to redirect his strikes. She wasn't physically strong enough to block his attacks.

Sasha yelped as the pommel of his sword struck her collarbone, sending her stumbling back. She tightened her grip on her own sword, eyes narrowing dangerously. Her speed picked up and she counter attacked, forcing him to hastily block. After a few more minutes he called a halt.

"You've improved a lot since you first started."

Sasha dipped her head in acknowledgement and sheathed her sword. His next words made her hesitate before answering.

"Have you considered joining the Guard?"

"Not really," she said and then stared into space thoughtfully.

"You should consider it," Thane said, pulling her back to the present. "You have the skill for it, not to mention that you've already shown yourself to be willing to throw yourself in danger for the Queen."

"I'll think about it," she said sincerely. "You should probably get back to look before someone comes looking for you."

"Yes, I should. I'll see you for another lesson next time I have some free time, Sasha."

Sasha watched him leave, thinking back on what he said. Sol brushed up against her leg as he joined her. She distractedly brushed the fur between his ears before leaving the field. Her feet led her to the gardens, while she mused thoughtfully to herself. She took a seat on a bench, leaning forward and clasping her hands. Sol rested his head on her legs, watching her in concern.

"What do you think Sol? Should I join the Guard?"

* * *

Elsa sighed in annoyance. She had been working on a heaping pile of papers when Kai had ordered to take a break for at least an hour or two. She'd grudgingly agreed, briefly getting something to eat before starting her search for her sister. Unfortunately, Anna didn't seem to be anywhere on castle grounds. After a few more minutes of wandering, she headed to the garden.

Sasha was sitting on a bench talking to the silver wolf. The sight of the wolf reminded her of the black wolf that had protected her back at the ice palace. She had a feeling there was some connection between the two. Elsa suddenly realized that Sasha wasn't just talking to the wolf, but holding a conversation with it.

"I just don't know if I should, Sol."

The wolf raised it's head from Sasha's lap and tilted it's head.

"Well, yes she did, but that was back home and-"

The wolf barked interrupting her. Sasha sighed quietly.

"The House has only ever served the Northern Isles nobles though."

Sol tilted his head.

"Maybe."

Elsa stepped back, deciding to leave them be. As she did the wind picked up, blowing loose strands of hair that had fallen from her bun into her face. Sol turned to look at her and Sasha tensed before turning to face her. She stood and bowed politely.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty."

"Good afternoon, Sasha," Elsa clasped her hands in front of her as she returned the greeting. "You haven't happened to have seen Anna around have you."

"I believe she went into town with Kristoff this morning," Sasha answered, dropping back onto the bench, this time facing Elsa. Sol leaned against her side, watching Elsa curiously. "Was there something important you needed her for."

"Not really, I was just taking a little break and thought we could talk."

Sasha nodded her head in understanding. Sol shifted to look up at her, head tilted. Sasha looked down at the wolf before reaching down to pet him. The wolf rumbled slightly at the attention.

"I'm not much, but I'd be willing to keep you company if you want, Your Majesty."

Elsa was briefly surprised by the offer. She hadn't really talked to Sasha since the time in her office and the fire dancer wasn't very talkative. She also found it difficult to talk to her when she was wearing her mask, which she always seemed to be doing. As if sensing Elsa's thoughts, Sasha pulled her mask off and set it in her lap. The mask had the way of making Sasha both intimidating and mysterious, but without it she had a rather nice face. It was partly because of this that Elsa accepted the offer and took the open seat next to her.

"Do I make you nervous?" Sasha suddenly asked, nodding her head at Elsa's fiddling hands.

Elsa blushed and stilled her hands before answering. "Some what."

"You have no reason to be, Your Majesty," she assured.

"Elsa," she corrected. "You can call me Elsa.'

"Well then, Elsa, you have no reason to be nervous around me, I promise I don't bite." A teasing smile follows the statement, catching Elsa off guard. It's the first time that she's seen Sasha smile or show any emotion.

"So is this break of yours voluntary or did Kai force you to take it."

"Forced," Elsa answered. "I don't have time to take a break with the amount of paperwork. My powers did a lot of damage and I'm still having to fix it."

"My troupe might be able to help."

"What do you mean?"

"Their powers might be able to repair some of the damage," Sasha explained.

"But you're our guests and it wouldn't be right to-"

"Then hire us as servants," Sasha interrupted and then apologized quickly. "Sorry, that was rude."  
"It's fine."

"We don't have anywhere else to go and we can't be guests forever. But we all have our talents and would be glad to use them to help out in whatever way we can."

Elsa looked down at her hands thoughtfully, considering what Sasha had said. Part of her knew that she was right, but the other thought that it was her own responsibility to fix the damage she'd done with her powers. She was the one that lost control, so she should be the one to fix it. She could feel her power building up in her palms, responding to her guilt. Sasha's hand covered hers and the natural warmth of the other girl's skin acted as a good deterrent for her powers. She still wasn't used to other people touching her and she pulled away from the touch.

Sasha pulled her hand back into her lap, meeting Elsa's gaze evenly. "I should probably warn you that I was considering joining the Guard."

"Why?"

"Why not? I have the skill for it, according to Lieutenant Thane."

Sasha stood and offered her another bow. "I'll leave you to your thoughts, Your Majesty. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to listen, Elsa."

Sol gently brushed Elsa's hand before following his owner out of the garden. Elsa stared after them, watching as Sasha slid her mask back on while Sol rubbed against her leg. Sasha had definitely given her much to think about.

* * *

"Your smiling," Gertrude commented, falling into step beside Sasha.

"So."

Gertrude smiled and turned to walk backwards in front of Sasha. "Nothing, it just makes you more beautiful."

Sasha blinked in surprise as Gertrude laughed and ran off. Sol rumbled quietly, butting his head against her leg. She smiled down at him in response.

"Come on, let's go see if anyone needs help with anything."

* * *

"Jeez, this is heavy," Sasha complained.

"That's why we're moving it together," Steel replied with a gentle smile as he lifted one end of the piano.

Zane mumbled something about 'unnatural strength' as the three of them began moving the piano up the stairs. Sasha and Zane were at the top, while Steel was at the bottom. If the two of them lost their grip on the piano, the metal man would be able to avoid getting damaged by it.

"Seriously, though. There has to be a better way to get this up the stairs."

"Yeah, well it's too late now."

Sasha was about to say something else when her foot slipped on the stair and she tripped backwards. Zane gasped as he was forced to take the weight of the top section all by himself.

"Are you alright, Sasha?" Steel asked in concern, unable to see over the top of the piano.

"I'm fine," she answered, pushing herself back to her feet.

"Pay attention, next time please?" Zane requested as she grabbed the piano again.

She apologized sheepishly. They heaved the piano up the last few steps and set it on the landing, for a breather. After a few minutes, they lifted the piano again. Thankfully, they didn't have to go up anymore stairs.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?"

Both Zane and Sasha flinched and almost dropped their end of the piano. They shot annoyed looks at Olaf while Steel answered for them.

"We're moving the piano out of the store room to the music room."

"Oh, that sounds like fun, can help?"  
"No!" All three exclaimed at the same time.

"Why don't you open the doors for us, Olaf," Sasha said after seeing the snowman's hurt expression.

"Oh, I can do that," he said, brightening up automaticly.

Sasha told him which room was the music room and he rushed to throw open the double doors. It took a little careful maneuvering to get it through the doorway without scraping the trim and the moved to set it down in the place Kai had marked out for them.

"Oh, and Olaf. You can't tell Elsa or Anna about this."

"Tell me about what?"

This time they really did drop the piano, luckily not breaking anything. Sasha whipped around, barking her shin against the edge of the piano with a sharp yelp. Zane steadied her as they turned to face Anna. The princess was grinning with a 'you're-so-busted' face.

Olaf spoke before the could shush him. "They were moving the piano from the store room."

"So much for keeping it a secret," Zane sighed.

Sasha leaned back against the piano. Anna smiled wider and stepped out of the way of two of the servants carrying the piano bench.

"So how long have you guys been helping out around the castle?" Anna asked.

"Since Sasha was fully healed," Zane answered, while Steel fixed the piano's position, so the bench could be put down.

"That's two almost months," Anna said in surprise.

Zane shrugged. Anna walked over to join them beside the piano, lifting the fallboard.

"It's been a while since I've seen this thing," she commented. "It was put in storage as soon as Elsa stopped playing."

"Makes sense, the cold isn't really good for pianos," Sasha said. "Although, neither is heat."

Anna glanced at her in confusion. Sasha tapped a few of the keys and frowned.

"It sounds like it needs to be tuned." She lifted the top up, to check the strings on the inside. "It looks like some of the strings need to be replace to."

"You seem to know a lot about pianos," Anna said, raising an eyebrow.

"I used to play," Sasha answered without looking over at her.

"Were you any good?"

"I was okay." Sasha turned away from the piano.

Zane winced slightly, sensing her good mood plummet. Sasha had retreated back behind an emotionless mask, in order to hide the pain that talking about her past gave her. Anna seemed to notice as well because she didn't pester Sasha to play like she normally would. She dropped the fallboard back down before speaking again.

"I'm not going to say anything to Elsa," she said. "But one of you should before she walks in on you like I did."

"We'll keep that in mind," Steel said.

Anna nodded before leaving. Olaf was watching Sasha curiously, but as soon as he saw Anna leave, he rushed after her with a cheerful goodbye.

"Hey, are you okay?" Zane asked, settling a hand on Sasha's shoulder.

She shrugged it off. "I'll be fine."

The two boys watched her leave with concern. The more they heard about Sasha's past the more curious they got. Something had happened in her past and it's impact had seemingly ruined everything that had to do with her childhood.

* * *

Sasha was curled up on the window sill in her room, staring out the window at the night sky. She sighed and rested her forehead against the glass with a quiet sigh. Sol was sleeping soundly on her bed, unaware of the guilt and sadness that was eating at Sasha.

There was a knock on the door, soft enough not to wake her if she happened to be asleep. She pushed herself up and opened the door to Kai. He handed her a scroll and left. She closed the door and leaned back against it as she unrolled the scroll. She read it twice and then smiled slightly. She set it on the nightstand and put out the lights before climbing into bed.

_Her Majesty, the Queen, graciously accepts your request to join the ranks of the Queen's Guard and requests that you meet with Captain Anders at your earliest convenience in order to start as soon as possible. Captain Anders will give you your commission and arrange for your uniform to be made._

_P.S. Good Luck, Sasha_

* * *

Sasha finished tying the red ribbon before brushing the braid back over her shoulder. Her mask was tucked into the side of her belt and her claymore hung on her back. She was dressed in one of the formal outfits that she'd been given. She was intent on making a good impression when meeting the Captain of the Queen's Guard. Sol was at her side as he usually was, silver fur gleaming brightly.

She knocked on the Captain's study door. A muffled "come in" sounded from the other side and she stepped into the room, tucking her hands behind her back politely. Captain Anders didn't look up from his paperwork.

"Stay your name and business," he said gruffly.

"My name's Sasha and I was told to report to you for my acceptance into the Queen's Guard."

Captain Anders looked up with a scowl. He sat back as he appraised her clearly not pleased. "Well you don't look like much, girl."

Sasha didn't respond. The captain shuffled through some of the paperwork on his desk before finding what he was looking for. He read the paper quietly and looked back up at her.

"Normally I don't accept new recruits unless I've seen them fight for myself, but seeing as its an order from the Queen I can't exactly turn you away. So listen to me closely, girl. As the Queen's personal guard it is your duty to protect her with your life and I expect you to do so.

"I'm sorry, sir, but did you say _personal_ guard."

"Aye, I did. Do you think you can handle that, girl?"

"I do," Sasha said, forcing her surprise away.

"I believe you are already acquainted with Lieutenant Thane. Go find him and he'll take you to get fitted for your uniform."

She nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh and girl, welcome to the Guard."

* * *

Sasha held still as the tailor took her measurements. He clearly wasn't pleased with having to create a uniform for a girl. Thane was facing away from her. She couldn't see his face, but she was sure he was smiling. Sol had been making a weird rumbling sound as well, that Sasha knew to be the wolf's form of laughter. The fitting couldn't have ended any sooner and she let out a relieved sigh as they left.

"You know if you were a guy, you wouldn't have to go through a fitting," Thane commented once they were on the street.

She snorted. She had been given a guard's uniform that was a size too big to wear while her actually uniform was being made. The baginess was uncomfortable and she'd had to pin the sleeves tight to keep them out of the way. Thankfully, she had a chainmail shirt already and didn't have to worry about getting that made.

"Alright, so I have to get back to work. I'll see you later. Make sure you go report to the Queen immediately."

Sasha nodded before they separated. She headed to Elsa's office, guessing that she'd be working on her paperwork again. She didn't know why she'd been chosen to be the Queen's personal guard, but she'd accepted the decision. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the study door.

"Come in," Elsa called.

Sasha stepped into the study, closely followed by Sol. Elsa looked up briefly and then did a double take.

"Your uniform, it's..."

"To big," Sasha supplied with a smile. "I just got measured for my actual uniform, but I have to wear this one until it's ready."

"I see." Elsa smiled and sat back in her chair. "Were you surprised by your commission?"

"Yes," Sasha answered. "But I'd be happy to serve as your guard, Your Majesty."

Elsa raised an eyebrow until Sasha corrected herself. "Elsa."

"By the way, I haven't yet informed my sister or my council of this arrangement. You will most likely be threatened by them, to keep me safe."

"I'm sure I will be, but I think I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can."

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Also a good friend of mine recently drew a picture of Sasha for me. If you're interested the link is on my profile. R&R -Honor**


	5. Duty and Nightmares

**Chapter Five: Duty and Nightmares**

Sasha was able to handle the council's threats quite well, but Anna's babbling threat was a lot harder to handle with a straight face. It didn't help that Elsa was present and was desperately trying to hold a laugh back behind a pale hand. Sasha put a hand up to stop Anna.

"Your Highness, I promise you that I won't let anything happen to your sister," Sasha assured with a gentle smile.

Anna simply nodded, out of breath from her rant. Elsa smiled and cleared her throat as she calmed her features.

"If you're quite done threatening my guard, I have a council meeting to attend."

"I'm done, I'm done, promise."

Elsa smiled in amusement before leading the way to said council meeting. The council members were already gathered and seated, but they stood up when their Queen entered. She took her place at the table and gestured for them to seat themselves. Sasha had been to two meetings already and was aware of how long they could be and how uncomfortable she would be to stand through the whole meeting. She moved to sit on the window sill to Elsa's left, vaguely listening to the meeting as she kept watch. She appeared relaxed, but she was very much aware. Captain Anders was present as well, so if there was any problems he would be able to help if need be.

Amund Clarence, Master of Trade, was seated to Elsa's left. He was a balding man, thin with a pointed chin and nose. He had been happy that trade had ended with Weselton, but admitted that he didn't care for the extra work of finding new trading partners to replace the valuable asset.

Next to Amund was General Bernt Bjørn. Bernt was general of Arendelle's army and navy. He was a good man and would shoot down any idea regarding using Elsa's power almost as fast as Anders and Elsa, herself. He was strongly built with wide shoulders, but was shorter than most people at the tables.

The identical twin brothers, Markus and Dagrun Edvin, Masters of Guilds and Industry respectively, sat across from Elsa and were as opposite as they could possible get. Markus was in favor of using Elsa's powers for advancement while Dagrun didn't care either way. Despite the two's identical appearance, Markus easily reminded Sasha of a snake.

Huntswoman Elin Frøya was a lot harder to read. She could hold her own on the council as well as any of the men, but tended to be quiet about her opinions until the council cast a vote. She was built similarly to Sasha, lithe and light with well defined muscle. She sat between Dagrun and Anders, who was on Elsa's left.

Sasha jolted out of her analysis of the councilmen when Markus slammed a closed fist against the table in anger over something Elsa had suggested. He was standing with his chest heaving as he spoke harshly. Sasha flowed to her feet and stepped to Elsa's side, hand rested lightly on the hilt of her tanto.

"Markus, calm yourself," Bernt ordered, interrupting his rant.

Markus took a shaky breath and sat back down. Elsa made a faint hand motion to inform Sasha that she wasn't needed before addressing Markus.

"I will say this only once. My powers are not open for discussion on how I should use them. I am however willing to talk about the damage that has been done because of them."

Markus didn't look happy, but he didn't argue. Elsa stood up, immediately followed by the other council members.

"I believe this meeting is over, unless there is anything else that needs to be discussed." After a brief pause, she dismissed the council members. "You may go."

As soon as they had left the meeting room, Elsa leaned forward and pressed her hands flat against the table. Sasha stepped forward and paced a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up and let out an exhausted sigh before sitting back in her chair.

"You work to hard," Sasha commented, leaning back against the table.

"Well, it doesn't help that my counselors make it harder than it has to be."

"Just wait until they start bugging you about marriage," Sasha replied.

A brief flash of horror crossed Elsa's face at the thought. Sasha stood up and offered her hand to Elsa.

"Should we escape to the gardens before Kai drags you back to your paperwork."

Elsa smiles and accepts her hand, allowing the fire dancer to pull her to her feet. Sol looks up when they enter the garden before turning back to the soccer game. Kristoff is there along with Anna and is doing a surprisingly worse job than her, seen by the loss of Olaf's head and the fumbling kick to the side lines. Sasha catches the soccer ball when it's kicked in there direction before bouncing the ball on her knee. After juggling it for a few seconds she kicks it to Gertrude.

Anna looks up from replacing Olaf's head and smiles before running up to her sister. She's babbling again and Elsa giggles at her eagerness to explain the game. Alyx interrupts with a pleasant smile.

"Do you mind if we borrow your guard, Your Majesty?"

"Go ahead."

Alyx grinned and grabbed her arm, pulling her to their impromptu soccer field. Filli shoos Kristoff from the field before moving to the opposite side of the field. Sasha removes her claymore and sets it to the side before joining Zane, Tanya, and Gertrude. Gertrude smiles and sets the ball in the center of the field.

"Abilities?" She asked.

"Why not?" Sasha offers, taking up her position.

Sol barked as signal for them to begin and Gertrude kicked the ball to Sasha. Sasha dribbled the ball between her feet, kicking it back to Tanya when Filli tried to take it from her with an air blast. Tanya in turn sent it to Gertrude, who controlled the plants to created a curved ramp to set the ball up for a goal kick. The ball bounced off of Steel's metal chest, landing at Alyx's feet. Sasha moved to interfere.

"Feint," Zane called from the goal as Alyx seemed to lean left, but kicked right instead.

It smacked against Sasha's shin as she took it. Sasha spun around Filli and kicked it with the side of her foot to Gertrude. The plant mage took it towards Steel. The metal man started to move only to find his foot wrapped in grass. Gertrude bounced it off his chest again, redirecting it back to Sasha. Sasha bounced it on her knee before allowing her foot to connect with it before it could fall back to the ground. The ball flew past Steel's head and Max's outstretched arm, smacking into the goal made from plants. She smirked before returning to her side of the field.

The game continued, scores mostly equal. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf watched in amazement at the control that the mages had over their abilities. Gertrude, Steel, Filli, and Zane were the only ones using an ability as Tanya's wasn't one that could be used that way while Sasha and Max didn't have one. The game ended quickly though after a particularly strong kick from Steel. Everyone except for Sasha always jumped out of the way of Steel's goal kick because of the force behind it. As Zane dodged out of the goal, Sasha stepped in the way. The ball smacked into her stomach with enough force to knock any normal person to the ground and maybe break a few ribs. She stumbled back with a faint 'oof', but remained on her feet.

"Woah," Anna shouted in amazement as Sasha hooked the ball around Steel to Gertrude.

"That's game," Alyx said as Gertrude scored the final goal.

"Yeah," Gertrude whooped, catching Sasha in a victory hug.

"Badass," Filli clapped Sasha on the shoulder with a goofy smile.

"As always," Sasha replied.

Sol barked, tail wagging. Sasha scowled at him before joining the sisters and Kristoff.

"Did that hurt?" Anna asked as soon as she sat down.

"Some," Sasha answered and then pulled up her over shirt to reveal her chainmail. "My armor absorbed most of it though."

"To bad you weren't wearing armor when you decided to let your uncle stab you," Gertrude commented, flopping down at Sasha's feet.

Sasha gave a very unladylike snort in response. Elsa smiled slightly, watching her guard interact with her friends. Sol suddenly rumbled next to her and rolled over onto his back. Elsa was briefly startled until she realized that she had been absentmindedly petting the wolf and he'd rolled over so she could pet his belly. She hesitated briefly before doing so causing Sol to rumble more. Sasha looked over and smiled slightly.

"Hey Sol, you know purring is for cats right."

Sol growled briefly at her before continueing to 'purr' in contentment. Gertrude murmured something that sounded a lot like "you purr too" to Sasha, who blushed slightly and looked away. Zane snorted in laughter and quickly covered it with a cough when she glared at him. Kai came to collect Elsa for her other duties soon after. Sasha grabbed her claymore as she followed them.

* * *

Sasha was relaxed on the window ledge in Elsa's study with a book she'd let her borrow while Elsa worked on her paperwork. Her mask rested on her leg as she read and she was chewing on the inside of her cheek. Elsa's tired sigh caused her to lift her head to look at the heaping pile of paperwork on her desk. Sasha hesitated for a moment and then dropped the book on the window ledge alongside her mask.

"Do you have an extra quill?" She asked dropping into one of the chairs opposite her desk.

Elsa looked up in surprise before nodding and handing over a quill from her desk drawer. She was even more surprised when Sasha took part of the stack of papers.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping."

"But," she started to protest.

"I studied politics when I was younger," Sasha interrupted as she started reading the top document. "I have an eidetic memory, so I remember quite a bit of it."

"You have an eidetic memory?"

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"Just who exactly were you before you were kidnapped?"

Sasha smiled bitterly and finished signing a paper with an almost exact replica of Elsa's signature. "I guess she could say I was noble of sorts."

"A noble with a pirate for an uncle," Elsa didn't sound convinced.

"My family's a bit … complicated." _That was an understatement._

Elsa seemed to accept the answer after searching Sasha's face. If Zane had been here he would have felt the plummet of her emotions and the guilt of keeping the truth a secret. Sasha's life before being kidnapped was a lot more complicated than she was admitting.

* * *

_Fire licked up the tapestries hung on the wall of the Great Hall. Satyana struggled to put the fire out, tears running down her face as tried to reach her mother. The wolves had already taken her siblings out of the mansion, but she refused to go._

"_Mother," she screamed._

_There was no answer and she pushed through the wall of flames in the doorway. She stumbled forward, arm raised to protect her face. The billowing smoke didn't affect her accept for making for poor visibility. She called out again, once again not receiving an answer. She felt when her shirt caught fire, burning the skin of her back. She ignored the burns and kept going, calling, always calling for her mother. The heat from the flames caused her to sweat heavily and to take rapid breaths._

_Her foot caught on something and she tripped. She winced and looked to see what she had tripped over, breath catching at what she saw._

"_Mother," she screamed, scrambling around to her mother's side._

_Her mother's eyes flickered open and she looked up into Satyana's face. She slowly brought her hand up to her daughter's cheek, smiling a motherly smile._

"_Satyana," she said. "You should have staid with your brother and sister."_

"_I couldn't. I couldn't just leave you."_

_Her mother carefully brushed her thumb over Satyana's cheek in comfort. "It's okay, Satyana. Just remember that this isn't your fault and take care of them. They'll need you."_

_Satyana nodded and then moved slightly. "I'll get you out of here."_

_She smiled and tucked hair behind Satyana's ear before her hand dropped and her eyes closed._

"_Mother," Satyana became frantic as she tried to wake her mother up._

_She didn't move and Satyana began to cry heavily, head bowed in distress. The flames could have completely devoured her and she wouldn't have even noticed. Her head flew up as she screamed._

"_Mother!"_

* * *

Sasha gave a soft cry as she woke up. She let out a strangled sob and pulled her knees up to bury her face in them. Sol, woken by her cry, pressed against her side.

"_Breath_," he ordered, "_Just breath_."

She struggled to do so, hands clenching so tightly that her nails drew blood. The door slammed open and Sasha looked up, vision blurred with tears. Gertrude wasted no time in gathering her in up in a hug. Tanya and Zane stood in the doorway watching silently as Gertrude comforted Sasha.

Tanya had been woken from her sleep when her ability to see others dreams tugged her into Sasha's. She had ran to Gertrude, accidentally waking Zane up with the strength of her emotions. As soon as Zane had woke he had sensed Sasha's pain from the other side of the castle.

Elsa's door opened behind them. She had been woken by all the noise. Tanya stepped to the side as Elsa approached, but Zane pulled Sasha's door shut and planted himself squarely in front of it. Sasha would not want anyone else to see her like this.

"What's going on?" Elsa demanded, stopping in front of him.

He hesitated before answering, "she had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?"

"You should go back to bed, Your Majesty. Sasha wouldn't want you to see her like this."

Elsa hesitated and then shook her head, moving to lean against the wall. "I'll stay out here, but I'm not going back to bed."

"As you wish."

On the other side of the door, Gertrude and Sol were slowly calming Sasha. The movement of rubbing Sasha's back, pulled her shirt up slightly, revealing part of the major burn scar that spanned the majority of her back.


End file.
